The Unmentioned

The twin towers were ugly monoliths
That lacked the details the ornament the character
Of the Empire State Building and [especially]
The Chrysler Building, everyone's favorite,
With its scalloped top, so noble.

David Lehman's "The World Trade Center" provides an example of humanity's tendency to develop sentimental attachments to lifeless objects over time, due to the ideas or ideals that those objects symbolize. Here, Lehman contrasts the twin towers' lack of character with the "nobility" of the Chrysler Building.